Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales split the prize money of $100,000.
Ben Symons/Getty Images for Peacock
Love Island USA Season 7 has officially wrapped with Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales walking away with the $100,000 prize. The pair made franchise history as the first Latino couple to win the show.
The finale left four couples standing: Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen — dubbed “Nicolandria” by fans — in second place; Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley in third, and Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia in the fourth spot. Just before the finale, an uncomfortable exchange between Huda and Chris saw them ending their connection.
The final night featured emotional speeches from each couple with Amaya delivering a message about staying true to herself. Bryan, who selected the $100,000 winning envelope, chose to split the prize with Amaya — a decision that earned some praise but also a few critics.
Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images
As many fans celebrated Amaya for her consistency, confidence, and authenticity throughout the season, others argued Bryan — who joined the villa during Casa Amor — didn’t contribute equally to the relationship. Some even questioned if their connection was strong enough to warrant the win.
This season also wasn’t short on controversy. Two Islanders were removed from the show after offensive social media posts resurfaced. Earlier in the season, Yulissa Escobar was sent home when old videos surfaced of her using the N-word. Later, Cierra Ortega was removed for using the Asian slur “chinky” to describe her eye shape in past Instagram posts.
Both women apologized for their actions via video.
Peacock
Buzzfeed Tasty also faced backlash last week after posting a now-deleted Instagram carousel titled, “What I Think Each Love Island Girl Deserves for Breakfast.”
While most slides featured lighthearted food pairings, the post dedicated to Haitian-American contestant Michelle “Chelley” Bissainthe crossed a line. Her “breakfast” included fruit, Goldfish crackers, and a “knuckle sandwich” represented by a white fist between two slices of bread.
Chelley’s team responded with a statement calling the post a disturbing example of implicit bias and misogynoir. “The slide dedicated to Chelley was not breakfast but violence,” the statement read, accusing Buzzfeed of perpetuating harmful stereotypes in the name of humor. The post was quickly deleted, and Buzzfeed issued an apology, acknowledging that the joke missed the mark.
With the Love Island USA reunion set to air on Aug. 25, hosted by Ariana Madix and Andy Cohen, fans are already anticipating hearing from their favorite islanders. Love Island Games also returns in September, which includes stars from various seasons of Love Island USA and UK.
